Smoke Break
by eternalsailorsolarwind
Summary: Written for the prompt: History. Long after the Winter War, an adult Ichigo takes a smoke break after class. And remembers. Ichigo/Renji.


Smoke Break

By: eternalsailorsolarwind AKA youkai_girl

Disclaimer: _Bleach_ and all of its characters are owned by Tite Kubo, his Japanese publishers, and Viz. I only play with them for grins and giggles.

A/N: Written for the Week# 76 prompt at bleach_contest: History. I have to admit, the idea for this came from a sudden craving for a cigarette. The Winter War is long over, and an adult Ichigo takes a break after class to smoke and remember. Ichigo/Renji.

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God, I wanted a cigarette. My body ached with the desire for a smoke; making me fidget in my seat. As there was still 15 minutes left in this boring class on viruses, I'd just have to hold out. My distraction and longing for a Marlboro woke Shirosaki, making him irritable – as usual.

"Why don't you just quit, ya' damn fool. You only started smoking after _he_ left. 'S not like yer gonna see him again, so why keep torturin' yerself – and _us_ – like this?"

My inner Hollow's complaint was petulant, and without any real heat It had been nearly ten years since Renji'd been recalled to Soul Society. Almost a decade since I'd last seen my lover. Some days, it felt like ancient history. Other times; raw and new. As if it had just happened yesterday. On those days, I was sure he was going to walk in the door any minute, that same cocksure grin on his face. But after this long, Shirosaki's argument was as flat as last week's Ramune soda.

"Do me a favor, Shirosaki. Just shut up and go back to sleep, would ya'?"

Class over, I escaped outside and lit up. All of the wrangling in my head subsided once the nicotine hit my bloodstream; I'm not the only one here addicted.

I took my time with the cigarette, savoring the taste. Remembering why I started smoking in the first place. Renji had taken it up while on assignment in the living world before the war. The lighter had once been his, but it was the taste of the cigarettes that kept him fresh in my mind.

"You need to move on," rumbled Zangetsu, interrupting my thoughts. "Thinking of Renji this way isn't healthy."

I snorted in amusement, and Shirosaki's derisive chuckle echoed me. "Old man, Ichigo couldn't move on if the world depended on it. You know how he is about loyalty."

"Asshole. If it wasn't for my loyalty to _you_, Yama-_jii_ would have destroyed you after the war. So don't knock it."

My "roommates" had a point, though. I'd never really gotten over Renji. I tried dating – sort of – over the years, but no one could light my fire like the redhead. No one else can compare to him. So I held on to my memories, even though I knew I wouldn't see my lover again until I died. Captains, as a rule, didn't come to the living world without a damn good reason. And after Aizen's defeat and execution, there weren't any. Where was an Espada when you needed one?

Ignoring the fist clenching around my heart, I lit a second smoke. Closing my eyes, I remembered how Renji looked with his hair down.

"Got a light?"

Almost choking on my cigarette, my eyes snapped open, and I turned in disbelief at the sound of rough voice beside me. A familiar voice. Before me stood a redheaded man with hair like a pineapple; tattoos hidden by a bandanna.

Renji still couldn't coordinate an outfit worth a damn.

I stared in shock, the cigarette slipping from my slack lips. "Renji?"

"Yeah," he said, kicking at the ground with the toe of his work boot. "It's me."

"How…why…where the _hell_ have you been for the last ten years," I demanded.

"I been tryin' t'get back fer years, Ichigo," replied Renji after a moment, eyes unsure. Faltering. "They kept me in Soul Society hopin' I'd get over ya'. Or the other way 'round."

I said nothing at first, taking in the redhead's unusual uncertainty. Normally, my lover would cheerfully attack an ocean of Hollows, sure of victory. Then I understood. Renji had come, not knowing my reaction to his sudden appearance. Whether I would attack or welcome him. Both options were weighed, my other "residents" put in their two-yen's worth as Renji began to fidget under my gaze. But there was really only one choice. I held out my – his – lighter to him. He took it with relief.

"Come on, let's get you into something …matching," I said, making a peace offering and pointing the way towards my place. "Are you _still_ letting Rukia dress you?"


End file.
